Family tent guide

Family tent guide

Confused at what style of family tent will suit you best? We’ll give you a crash course on what styles are available and the features you should consider when purchasing.

Confused at what style of family tent will suit you best? Caravan & Camping with Kids gives you a crash course on what styles are available and the features you should consider when purchasing.

Choosing the best tent for your family is no easy decision. There are a variety of designs, sizes and materials to pick from, with prices ranging from a couple of hundred dollars for a two-room, dome-style tent, up to three thousand dollars for a heavy-duty canvas cabin tent. So how do you know which one is best for you?

Features checklist

Before heading to the local camping store, sit down with your family and rate your preferences on the following tent features to decide what is a necessity for you and the kids, and what would be nice, but not a deal breaker.

When you compare which tents fit all of your most important criteria, you may find the decision making has been whittled down to just a couple of choices.

Here’s what to consider, and remember these factors are different for everybody – that’s why there are so many tent designs available.

How long will you be camping for each time? Overnight, long weekends, one week or longer every time? A mix of all of the above?

What does the company state as the set-up and pack-up time? Five minutes, 15 minutes, over an hour?

Will it sleep the whole family comfortably (this is with a stretcher for each person and room for bags and camping gear)?

Do you want a separate sleeping area for adults and children?

Do you wish to have an additional room to use as a kitchen/dining room?

What is the internal height – can I stand up fully inside?

Does it have a fully sealed tub floor throughout the whole tent or just in the sleeping quarters?

Is the tent made from canvas or a polyester nylon?

What is the packed size and weight?

Can one person carry this? Will this fit in your car easily?

Does the tent come with a separate fly or is the material rated as completely waterproof without one?

What is the water-repellant rating? (i.e. How waterproof is it?)

How many windows are there for ventilation and do they unzip from the inside, outside or both?

Are the insect screens made of a strong, quality mesh or do they appear weak and likely to tear?

Are the holes in the mesh small enough to keep the really tiny insects outside? – Is there an awning? Do you want/need an awning?

Once you have answered all of the above, you should find that one of the following styles of tents – dome, instant-up, touring or cabin style – is where you should concentrate your search from here on.

Dome tents

Probably the most popular tent design on the market thanks to its price point, pack size and the number of brands available. The dome tent design relies upon interlocking aluminium poles that, when joined, bend in a 180-degree arc over the top of the tent and then clip onto an attachment at the base. The walls of the tent are then clipped to the poles through sewn-in attachments.

Most dome tents can be erected in less than 10 minutes, with another 10 to 15 minutes required to correctly securing the fly roof and pegging all ropes and floor loops into the ground.

There are a number of relatively cheap dome tents available from the major camping retailers. Most brands are about on par with each other in terms of the material they are made from and the quality of construction.

Price range: from $200 to $800 on average for a six- to 12-person tent.

Instant tents

The ‘instant-up’ style of tents on the market are fast becoming extremely popular, and for good reason. Every manufacturer is now looking to provide a tent that can be set up in just a couple of minutes, so you and the family can start relaxing straight away.

Most designs are based around an exoskeleton pole system that is completely attached to the tent fabric already and simply needs to be unfolded, extended and clicked into place to achieve set-up.

There are several brands on the market, with some vastly different designs available. Some are a little small to be called a true family tent, and would be better suited under the ‘Touring Tent’ category we discuss later on, so be sure you know what style of camping you will be doing when looking into some of the tents in this category.

Price range: from $800 to $1500 on average for a four- to 10-person tent.

A spacious three-room tent with the ability to sleep mum and dad on one side with room to spare, and three kids on the other

Steel/fibreglass Instant Up Frame for simple set-up in under 3 minutes

Mesh-screened and privacy-screened doorways from bedroom to central living room

Full-mesh front door and rear screened D-doors to both bedroom entrances, with pole out awnings

WeatherTec System, patented welded floors and inverted seams keep water out – and you dry

Fabric heavy-duty 3000mm Ripstop fly

Heavy-duty 420D polyester/PVC floor

Specifications

Sleeps: 10 persons

Dimensions: 600 x 230 x 200 cm

Weight: 29.5kg

Pack size: 120 x 32 x 32cm

Touring tents

Old-style touring tents were typically a single-room tent made of canvas with a center pole, the aim being that they were easy and quick to set up and made of the most sturdy, waterproof fabric available. Recent improvements in the ‘Instant Tent’ category above have found a perfect home in the Touring tent category as well, with the exception that many ‘Instant Touring Tents’ are designed to be one room only with a small awning. The reason for this is that most tourers do not spend the majority of their camping time around the tent; they will be out exploring, 4WDing, hiking, etc., and will use their tent simply as a place to sleep. For this reason, a quick and easy set-up (and pack-up) is their top priority.

Price range: from $1000 to $2500 on average for a three- to 10-person tent.

Super fast to pitch so it’s ideal for extended trips where you’re frequently on the move

Gusseted side windows for excellent ventilation

Zippered guy rope pockets to keep guy ropes tidy

Ability to purchase extra wall panels to turn your 3-pole awning into an extended living space

Tough fiberglass mesh doors and windows

Waterproof taped seams on the floor

Specifications

Sleeps: 8

Dimensions: 480 x 300 x 210cm

Weight: 35kg

Packed size: 145 x 38 x 40cm

Canvas cabin tents

The ultimate in family tents, there really is nothing quite like sleeping under a canvas roof, and perfect for the family who wants both plenty of space and like to set up in their favourite camping spot for anywhere from a week to a month. What these tents lose in terms of packed size, weight and set-up time, they more than make up for in quality, strength and living space. If you want to be able to cook and dine indoors (away from the insects), and not be in danger of stepping on someone every time you get out of bed, then this is the way to go.

Price range: from $1000 to $3500 on average for a three- to six-person tent.

Final thoughts

There are a number of quality tents on the market, and buying the right one for your needs at the outset should set you up for many years of happy camping. Remember that while you are always limited in choice according to your budget, spending a little more on the right tent, the first time, will save you in the long run.

This article originally appeared in Holidays with Kids magazine. To subscribe to the latest issue, click here.